At first, conventionally it is required an image data output system for a digital still video camera as shown in FIG. 59A to FIG. 59D in a case where an image photographed by a digital still video camera is outputted to recording paper through an image forming apparatus such as a printer.
For instance, FIG. 59A and FIG. 59B show configuration in which image data is transferred from the digital still video camera (DSVC) to a computer through an I/F (an interface), and the image data is transferred to a printer using a printing function of the computer to be outputted to recording paper.
FIG. 59C and FIG. 59D also show configuration in which image data is recorded in a recording medium set in a drive incorporated in the digital still video camera (DSVC), the image data stored in the recording medium is read in by a data reading device connected to the computer, and the image data is transferred to the printer using the printing function of the computer to be outputted to recording paper. As a recording medium, there are a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a memory card (IC card) or the like each of which is an ordinary one as computer peripheral equipment, and the memory card is generally used for the digital still video camera because read/write of the information can be executed at a high speed therein.
It should be noted that, in FIG. 59B and FIG. 59D, a controller is provided between the computer and the printer, so that drawing at a higher speed and color correction with a mode advanced function can be realized by using the controller.
Secondarily, in recent years the digital still video cameras have come to incorporate multiple and versatile functions, and there have been developed various types of recording mode including, in addition to a still picture mode for recording a photographed image as a still picture, a successively photographing mode for successively recording still pictures, a voice mode for recording voices, a still picture+voice mode for simultaneously recording a still picture and voices, a moving picture mode for recording moving pictures like that in a video camera, a moving picture+voice mode for simultaneously recording moving pictures and voices, and a character mode for clearly recording characters or the like, or some other modes.
As a step for making a video still video camera more versatile, there is provided an operation mode such as a communicating function for fetching image data as well as voice data each photographed by the digital still video camera into external device such as a computer or the like.
Conventionally, in this type of digital still video camera in which image data and voice data in combination can be recorded, the inputted voice data is recorded using a voice compression technology. Also a listening method is used for regeneration, identification, and edit of the recorded voice data like in a case of a personal computer or a tape recorder.
Thirdly, as a system of transferring data between devices based on the conventional technology, a wire communication system for connecting devices to each other with a cable has generally been employed. However, radio communication making use of infrared rays is going to be standardized in order to respond to such users' request that they want to do data transfer without preparing a cable or the like.
There is the IrDA (Infrared Data Association) as a group for promoting this standardization. In the radio communication between devices according to this radio communication system, as shown in FIG. 60A, a face on which the transferring/receiving section 6001a of a device 6001 is provided at a position opposite to a face on which the transferring/receiving section 6002a of a device 6002 is provided, and data is transferred between the transferring/receiving sections 6001a and 6002a. 
In order to give flexibility to a positional relation between the devices, as shown in FIG. 60B, there is also provided a product in which the transferring/receiving section 6001a is separated from the device 6001 by using a serial port of the device 6001 such as a computer or the like.
On the other hand, a recording capability of the digital still video camera has remarkably progressed, so that it is now possible to execute various types of recording for recording not only still pictures but also moving pictures, and voices, or a mixture of moving pictures+voices or the like. An IC card enabling a high-speed read/write of data is mainly used for recording. To fetch this recorded data into equipment such as a personal computer or the like, a dedicated radio communication function or an IC card reader is required.
For this reason, if a radio communication function based on the IrDA standard is incorporated in the digital still video camera, communications between devices each having the radio communication function based on the IrDA standard can be made easier, which makes it possible to improve the convenience of use of a digital still video camera.
Fourthly, as a digital still video camera based on the conventional technology, there is the one disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 4-332281 under the title of “Electronic camera and image signal compressing device”. This camera comprises a compressing means for subjecting an image signal obtained by an image pickup device to compression processing and an object distance detecting means for detecting a distance between a object and the camera, and adjusts a compression rate according to an output from said object distance detecting means. Namely, by setting the compression rate according to a scene to be photographed if necessary, an average compression rate of an image can be made higher and reduction of the memory space required for one screen can be achieved, so that a photographer can take pictures satisfying the photographer's desire.
In the “Electronic still camera” disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 5-64143, setting of the compression rate is automatically changed for storage so that a number of sheets of compressed image data to be stored will be set as an operator desires, which makes it possible to obtain the best image in the specified range.
Fifthly, as a digital still video camera based on the conventional technology, there is a device for reporting a residual memory space of a recording medium for recording therein photographed images.
For instance, in the “Electronic still camera” disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 2-280483, by estimating a number of sheets of still images which can be recorded in the recording medium from an average memory space of data used for image data recorded in the recording medium as well as from the recorded number of sheets, an appropriate alert can be issued when a residual data memory space in the recording medium becomes a low level.
Also, in the “Electronic still camera” disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 6-350950, an empty memory space in the recording medium or a number of pieces which can further be photographed are displayed while alert is issued in at least two or more ways according to the empty memory space in the recording medium.
On the other hand, the digital still video cameras have come to incorporate more and more multiple and versatile functions, so that there are provided various types of recording mode such as, in addition to a still picture mode for recording a photographed image as a still picture, a successively photographing mode for successively recording still pictures, a voice mode for recording voices, a still picture+voice mode for simultaneously recording a still picture and voices, a moving picture mode for recording moving pictures like a video camera, and a character mode for clearly recording characters or the like, or some other modes.
Sixthly, in the digital still video camera based on the conventional technology, as a technology for recording much more data in a recording medium with a limited memory space, there are those as described below. Disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 2-44879 is an invention in which a recording medium can efficiently be used by switching a low-resolution mode switch and changing a number of data bits of a video signal to be written into a memory card.
Also disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 4-332281 is an invention in which a mode is effected in which a screen is compressed with a uniform compression rate in any of the three cases where a distance to an object is not less than a specified value, where a focus length is not more than a specified value, and where a specified relation is satisfied between the focus length and the distance to an object, and in other cases, a recording memory space required for a screen can be reduced by changing a compression rate according to the information obtained by measuring a distance to an object according for each scene to be photographed and concretely, for instance, by reducing the compression rate in an inside area of the outline.
However, with the first image data output system for a digital still video camera based on the conventional technology, any of the systems has configuration in which image data is transferred to a printer through a computer, so that a system for outputting the image data becomes disadvantageously expensive.
It should be noted that a computer is indispensable in a case where various types of editorial word or processing is executed to an image when the image is to be outputted to recording paper, but many users will simply desire print-output of an image, and especially in that case, the expensive system is a big problem for the users.
With the second digital still video camera based on the conventional technology, inputted voice data is only recorded with the technology for voice compression, so that the voice data has not been utilized as an information source for other processing.
As the third case described above, in a case where the function for the radio communication based on the IrDA standard is simply incorporated in the digital still video camera base on the conventional technology, there are such problems that data transfer can not always successfully be executed because the camera is affected by vibration of the equipment generated during the data transfer since the digital still video camera is generally a small-sized one and data to be transferred includes image data having a large quantity of information, and that data transfer can not successfully be executed because it is difficult to maintain a positional relation between the digital still video camera and an external device to which the data is to be transferred in the best situation.
As a digital still video camera is generally small-sized and it is difficult to operate the digital still video camera in a state in which a suitable positional relation therebetween is maintained, there are such problems that the operability and convenience during data transfer is low.
With the fourth case described above and based on the conventional technology described above, an image for one screen is compressed according to a uniform compression ratio, so that a method of thinning information for a complicated section block by block is employed due to restrictions in algorithm for the compression processing in a case where peripheral images have complicated patterns even if the main object is located at the center of the screen in the photographed screen of image, and for this reason a quantity of data for the main object is reduced. In other words, in an image for one screen, a main portion desired by a user can not always be recorded clearly.
In a case where a quantity of information for the main object is increased by simply reducing the compression rate (or without executing compression), a quantity of the information for the entire image for one screen increases disadvantageously.
These problems described above also exist in each of the inventions disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 4-332281 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 5-64143.
With the fifth digital still video camera based on the conventional technology, although an appropriate alert can be issued when a remaining memory space for data to be recorded in the recording medium (a residual memory space for recording) becomes a low level, the alert are given by means of display or indication, so that, in a case where a user does not notice the display of alert, sometimes photographed images may not be recorded therein.
In the sixth digital still video camera based on the conventional technology, as a method of making it possible to photograph a more number of sheets of images than that in a normal device, a method of changing a number of data bits or a compression rate is employed, and for this reason quality of an image to be fetched thereinto may entirely or partially be degraded.
It is a first object of the present invention to make it possible to output image data prepared by a digital still video camera based on simple and low-cost configuration to recording paper by directly transferring image data to an image forming apparatus such as a printer or the like without requiring a computer therebetween.
It is a second object of the present invention to improve operability, workability, and convenience in use of a digital still video camera by making use of received voice data as an information source for other types of processing.
It is an object of the present invention that data in a digital still video camera incorporating therein a function of radio communication making use of infrared rays can easily and securely be transferred to an external device. The present invention was also made for solving the problems described above, and it is a third object of the present invention to improve operability and convenience in use thereof when data is transferred from a digital still video camera to external device
It is a fourth object of the present invention to make it possible to record an image in a desired area (the main portion) with a large quantity of information therefor with a layout intended by a user.
It is a fifth object of the present invention to make it possible to alert a user and accurately report a remaining recording space in a recording medium in which data can be recorded to the user.
It is a sixth object of the present invention to make it possible to freely change a form of a photographed image to be stored in a storage medium by selecting a mask identifying a photographed image area according to an image to be recorded for maximizing a number of sheets of images which can be stored in a storage medium without lowering a quality of the recorded image as well as for effectively utilizing the storage medium.
The digital still video camera according to the present invention having a function for transaction of image data as well as control data with external devices comprises a picture information input means for inputting picture information for an image forming apparatus, one of the external devices; a picture information memory means for storing therein picture information inputted from the picture information input means; and a converting/sending means for converting image data to be sent to the image forming apparatus to image data adapted to the image forming apparatus according to the picture information stored in the picture information memory means and sending the image data using a synchronizing signal adapted to the image forming apparatus, and in the digital still video camera picture information for the image forming apparatus is inputted thereinto by the picture information input means and is stored in the picture information memory means, and the converting/sending means converts image data to be sent to the image forming apparatus to image data adapted to the image forming apparatus according to the picture information and sends the image data using a synchronizing signal adapted to the image forming apparatus.
The digital still video camera according to the present invention having an image data generating means for photographing an image and generating image data for the image and a voice data generating means for inputting voices and generating voice data for the voices to record the generated image data as well as voice data in a recording medium comprises a character code generating means for recognizing voice data generated by the voice data generating means and generating character code corresponding to the voice data; and a recording control means for controlling the image data generating means, the voice data generating means, and the character code generating means, and recording the character code with relation to the image data in the recording medium.
The frame for data relay for a digital still video camera according to the present invention as a device for receiving data through radio communication from the digital still video camera having a function for radio communication making use of infrared rays for data transaction comprises a retaining means for stably retaining said digital still video camera; a radio communicating means for data transaction through radio communication with the digital still video camera retained by said retaining means; and a data input/output means for outputting the data received from said radio communicating means to an external device and also outputting the data received from said external device to said radio communicating means. Namely the frame for data relay according to the present invention can simply and accurately transfer data from a digital still video camera to an external device by executing radio communications with the digital still video camera through the radio communication means in a state in which the digital still video camera is stably retained by the retaining means in the frame for data relay and further by transferring the data from the radio communicating means to external device.
The digital still video camera according to the present invention for photographing an image and recording the image in a recording medium such as a memory card or the like comprises an image compressing means for enabling processing for compression of the image with at least two different types of compression ratio; and a memory means for storing mask information comprising a plurality of areas in which one of said at least two types of different compression ratio is set, and in the digital still video camera said image compressing means divides an image for one screen into a plurality of areas using the plurality of areas of the mask information stored in said memory means and subjects the image to compression processing with the compression rate of said mask information corresponding to said divided areas.
The digital still video camera according to the present invention for recording at least photographed image in a recording medium comprises a residual memory space computing means for computing a residual memory space of said recording medium; a setting means for setting therein a residual memory space reporting mode to report the residual memory space in said recording medium; a voice output means for outputting voices; and a residual memory space reporting means for outputting the residual memory space computed by said residual memory space computing means through said voice output means in a case where the residual memory space reporting mode has been set by said setting means.
The digital still video camera according to the present invention having a memory means for storing therein image data for the photographed image and an image displaying means for displaying or regenerating/displaying said photographed image or the image data stored in said memory means comprises a mask retaining means for retaining a plurality of masks each identifying a photographed image area; a selecting means for selecting one of the masks retained in said mask retaining means; and a control means for displaying the image on said image displaying means so that the object of a photograph can be seen through the photographed image area identified by said mask when the mask has been selected by said selecting means, storing the information relating to said mask with reference to the image data for the photographed image area identified by said mask each according to a specified operation in said memory means, and identifying an image area according to said mask information and regenerating/displaying the image thereon in a case where mask information related to said image data is added to the image data when the image data stored in said memory means is to be regenerated and displayed on said image displaying means.
Other objects and features of this invention will become understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.